Gate-operated lock for elevators.



No. 643,598. Patented Feb. 13, 1900'.

.1. FLETCHER.

GATE OPERATED LOOK FOR ELEVATORS.

(Application filed Nov. 2, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Patented Feb. I3, I900.- J. FLETCHER.

GATE OPERATED LOCK FOR ELEVATORS.

(Application filed Nov. 2, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sh9et 2-.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT 01mins.

JOHN FLETCHER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE- EIGHTI-IS TO HARRY W. SPROSON, OF SAME PLACE.

I GATE-OPERATED LOOK FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,598, dated February 13, 1900.

Application filed November 2,1899. Serial No. 735,616. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Gate-Operated Lock for Elevators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawingsi The invention relates to a gate-operated lock for elevators, the object of the invention being to lock the elevator-car at alanding upon the opening of the slidable door and preventing accidental downward movement of the same while the. door remains open; and it consists in the combination, with the slidable door and a rack-bar carried thereby, of mechanism operated thereby for actuating one or more sliding bolts for thrusting them underneath the elevator-car when the door is slid open at a landing and for withdrawing the same when the door is again closed.

It further consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, and by means of which the invention is carried out in practice.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which make a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a section of an elevator-shaft and of the door at one of the landings thereof in connection with the gearing operated by said door for locking and unlocking the cage or car as the door is opened and closed. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification in the gearing employed for actuating the slides or bolts. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail plan View showing the bevel or master gear-wheel and the slotted underlying disk.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 represents a cage or car which may be of any usual or suitable construction adapting it to the purpose for which it 'is intended, whether as a passenger or freight elevator or for mining purposes.

2 represents a door at one of the landings .or other suitable support.

of an elevatoi shaft, which is suspended through suitable rollers 3 upon a bar or lintel 4, secured to the framework of the shaft. Supplemental rollers 5 are shown at the bottom of the door adapted to ride upon the flooring 6 of the landing, said rollers being of any usual or suitable construction and arrangement for facilitating the movement of the door. To the lower edge of the door is attached a toothed rack 7, extending, preferably, the entire width of the door, as indicated, and passing through a slot in the floor "of the landing.

8 indicates a horizontal shaft arranged at right angles to the rack 7, said shaft being mounted in suitable hearings in a standard 9, secured to a bed-plate 10, adapted to be secured to the girders of the floor of the landing Upon one end of the shaft 8 is mounted a spur-gear 11,the teeth of which are in mesh with the rack 7-, the arrangement being such that when the door is moved for opening or closing it the rack imparts a rotary motion to the spur-gear 11 and to the shaft 8, upon which said gear is mounted. Upon the shaft 8 is secured a worm or screw 12, which meshes with a worm-wheel 13, rigidly secured to a shaft 14, at or near midway between its ends, said shaft being mounted in suitable standards 15 on the bedplate 10. The standards 15 are preferably bifurcated, as shown in Fig. 1, and in each of said bifurcations upon the shaft 14, near its ends, are mounted spur-pinions 16, which on their upper faces engage pendent racks 17 on sliding bolts 18, which when the elevator is stopped at the landing are adapted to slide underneath the bottom of the elevator and to remain in that position, preventing downward movement of the elevator until the door is again closed, thereby preventing accidental dropping of the elevator-cage in unloading or loading the same, due to any increase in the weight placed in the cage.

The arrangement of gearing shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is such as to adapt it to a door moving to the right in opening it-that is to say, infacing said door from the outside of the elevator-and the worm or screw employed is adapted to this movement of the door; but it will be apparent that if the dooris adapted to move in the opposite direction a left-hand screw may be substituted for the right-hand worm or screw shown.

In Figs. 3 and 4 instead of the worm or screw and worm-wheel bevel-gearing is employed as follows: The arrangement of the door is substantially like that shown and described in connection with the slotted landing-flooring and the toothed rack on the door.

. In this modification the spur-gear ll is fast on a short shaft 19, journaled in a suitable bearing-sleeve 20, fast on an arm 21, secured to a standard 22, fast on the bed-plate 10. The opposite end of the shaft 19 to that carrying the spur-pinion 11 is provided with a bevel-pinion 23 in mesh with the bevel-gear or master-wheel 24, loose upon an upright shaft 25, journaled in a suitable bearing 26, formed on the arm 21. Underneath the bevelgear 2st and secured to the shaft 25 for rotating it is a disk 28, provided with a curved slot 29, concentric with the shaft 25, in which slot a pin 30 enters, engaging the disk 28 as it reaches either end of the slot 29 for rotating the same, together with the shaft 25, upon the upper end of which the bevelgear 24 is mounted. Upon the shaft 25, below the arm 26, two bevel-gears 31 and are secured, said bevel gears or pinions facing each other, as shown in the drawings. In suitable standards 33 3t, secured to the bed-plate 10, are mounted two shafts 35 36, to the inner adjacent ends of which are secured mutilated bevel-pinions 37 38, which gear one with the pinion 31 and the other with the pinion 32,the arrangement beingsuch that the shafts 35 and 36 will both rotate in thesamedirection. Thebevel-pinions3l, 32, 37, and 38 are required to pass through but a portion of a revolution each and are therefore mutilated on the inoperative sides thereof, so that pinions 31 and 38 engage for operating shaft 36 and pinions 32 and 37 for operating shaft 35. The bolts 13 are the same in both constructions and are mounted in suitable guides 39, secured to the bearingposts 3% or other suitable support. Each shaft is provided with a pinion 16, corresponding to the pinions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which gear with pendent racks on the bolts or slides 18, the arrangement being such as to thrust the bolts under the elevator cage or car when the elevator-door is opened and to withdraw the same when the door is closed, as explained.

By the construction described it will be seen that the cage or car is securely locked against downward movement whenever a door is opened for permitting egress or ingress, and gearing similar to that described being applied to each landing accidental dropping of the cage at any landing when the door is opened is effectually guarded against, thereby insuring safety to passengers and materials within the car or cage.

The mechanism hereinabove described is adapted to be used in connection with any movable or sliding elevator-door, whether the same is manually operated or actuated by pneumatic, hydraulic, or electrical power. I therefore do not desire to be limited to the precise arrangement hereinabove described, as it will be apparent that changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with an elevator-door and a rack-bar carried thereby, of a sliding bolt made in rack-bar form and adapted to be projected beneath the car, and gearinginterposed between and connecting the rack-bar on the door with said bolt for actuating the latter as the door is opened and closed, substantially as described.

2. The combination with an elevator-door, of a rack-bar secured to the bottom thereof, bolts adjacent to the elevator shaft and adapted to be moved into the path of the car, and a bolt-actuating shaft operatively connccted with and actuated by the rack-bar on the door, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an elevator-door, of a rack-bar secured thereto, a bolt adjacent to the elevator-shaft and adapted to be projected into the path of the car, a bolt-actuating shaft geared to said bolt, and gearing interposed between said shaft and the rack-bar on the door, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

t. The combination with an elevator-door provided with a toothed rack, of a bolt adjacent to the elevator-shaft and adapted to be projected into the path of the car and movable at right angles to the plane in which the door moves, a bolt-actuating shaft parallel to the line of movement of the door and geared to said bolt, a second shaft arranged at right angles to the path of movement of the door and actuated by the toothed rack thereon, and gearing interposed between said shafts and adapted to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination with a slidable elevator-door, of a reciprocatory bolt adapted to be slid into and out of the path of movement of the car, and means controlled by the sliding movement of the car-door for reciprocating said bolt, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN FLETCHER.

Witnesses:

J os. F. ECKARD, THos. A. BRANDT. 

